What's Your Sign?
by MidnightWolverina
Summary: Sometimes it's the little things in life that we find the most memorable, and it's the people we share it with that make it special. That smile, a brief word, and a meaning that only you can understand.
1. Cat Scratch

… I honestly can't think of a note to put here, so I'll just say that this fic is written by **SilverWolverina** and **Midnight Insanity** 'cause we love the manga and the Sohma boys. XD

Disclaimer: We don't own the _Fruits Basket_ gang or their situation, but Lani belongs to **SilverWolverina** and Chaya belongs to **Midnight Insanity**.

* * *

_Chapter One:_

_Cat Scratch_

* * *

_WHUMP!_

"The fuck…?" Heavy lids slowly cracked open as a rumpled figure tried to discern the sudden change in environment. Or rather, change in altitude.

A low groan escaped swollen lips and the vaguely human form pushed itself up onto its knees and finally the tangled bed sheets fell away to reveal the body of a sixteen-year-old girl. Pale gold hair formed a wild mane on her head, the longer, light brown strands that hung down in front of her ears sticking to her cheeks and jaw from being pressed against them so long. Dark brown eyes still clouded with sleep were half-lidded even as she waited for them to bring focus to the blur of muted color that surrounded her. Her eyes were covered and uncovered rapidly, and things became easier to differentiate between. The mottled creme ceiling, and the more pale yellow walls didn't merge together in her eyeline now.

Chayaki Tsuma could now officially say she was awake, as this was awake as she usually was. She had no idea what the time was though, not that she really cared, it couldn't have been the afternoon yet. Raising her hand to scrape her fingers through matted pale brown hair, Chayaki, usually just Chaya, moved into a more comfortable position. Yawning in the same moment as she rose to her feet, Chaya tripped a few times, forgetting her feet were caught up in her duvet. She almost danced across the room to the door, her feet finally escaping the downy confines of the soft object. Yawning again, Chaya took her robe off the back of the door and went through the corridor of the two floor home she shared with her mother to the bathroom. Hanging her robe up on the back of the door, Chaya ran the shower head until it was warm, brushing her teeth as she waited.

After washing, both herself and her hair, and dressing in something fairly basic and down to earth, khaki cargo pants and short-cut beige t-shirt, she ventured downstairs to the kitchen, her stomach grumbling for something to eat. She was unsurprised to find her mother, Mimi, still in her pajamas and robe, eating breakfast. Before deciding what she should eat, Chaya poured herself a glass of orange juice, and then set about going through the choices. Mimi liked to spoil herself and liked variety, so there was practically a different breakfast food for every day of the week. Bagels, toast, cereal, eggs. Chaya sighed, decisions, decisions.

"You're up at last," Mimi commented, as Chaya, having decided on cereal set about finding a bowl. Chaya, hearing her mother's comment arced an eyebrow.

"Yeah... what do you mean at last? It's not that late," she returned, leaning on the counter, and filling her bowl with some Cheerios. Mimi regarded her sixteen-year-old daughter for a moment, with a raised eyebrow, before returning her attention to the Saturday morning paper.

"Chaya, it's almost half past one," explained Mimi, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Didn't you have something going on today?" Chaya shrugged and poured milk onto her cereal and then settled at the table, taking up a spoonful, suspending it in front of her mouth.

"Don't think so," she replied. She took the cartoon and quiz pages from the paper, so she could read her daily horoscope and read through the cartoons while she ate. Though she wasn't at all superstitious over horoscopes, she had a habit of reading them every day, to see if anything that was mentioned would happen. Today's was quite amusing, so she found.

_"Take heed of Venus being in your sign today and for the following few days, as someone quite unexpected will take your life by storm. Failure to be punctual will go with punishment, and a new beginning seems to be around the corner. Your lucky colour this week, is orange."_ Chaya chuckled and turned her attention to her cartoons. Mimi smiled.

"Looking forward to school on Monday?" she asked.

Chaya raised a shoulder in a half-shrug. "Don't really care too much..." she replied. Silence fell on mother and daughter and Chaya chewed her cereal, her mind whirring back to things she had to do. Suddenly she felt alert. "Yes! I do have something to do to day!" she shouted bolting from the table, spoon in mouth. She grabbed her jacket, and shoved on a pair of sneakers which sat by the door. Mimi looked both shocked and bemused.

"What? What have you got to do today?" she asked. Chaya dropped the spoon by the door.

"I'm supposed to be at the animal shelter!" She glanced at the clock. "Crap! I was supposed to be there about four hours ago!!" She wailed and bolted out the door with a quick 'bye Mom' over her shoulder. Mimi sighed, rising and going to the door to close it properly. And that was her daughter... Chaya.

* * *

"So... he just ran off?" Shigure asked, leaning against the kitchen door frame and Yuki helped Tohru pack away the shopping. Yuki stopped for a moment, handing Tohru some prepacked vegetables, before turning to Shigure.

"Don't say it like it's our fault. He's the stupid cat," he replied, his voice dripping with contempt.

"We sent you and Kyo shopping with Tohru for a reason," Shigure reminded his younger cousin. "Why did Kyo run off?" Yuki 'hmphed', opening a cupboard as he placed a few bits and pieces within. Shigure arced an eyebrow, his eyes going to Tohru. "Tohru...?" The brunette smiled a little.

"Well... Yuki and Kyo started arguing the street and... well it was partly my fault because as we were walking I tripped up and I landed on them both. They transformed - luckily we were on a more or less deserted street," Tohru explained hurriedly, making sure not to let Shigure have a say. "Anyway, they started arguing again, and things got a little violent. I stood by, and then someone with a dog came along the street. The dog started barking at Kyo and broke off his leash. Kyo ran off, and that was all we saw of him, after Yuki transformed back." She finished with a quick smile. Shigure looked a little exasperated, running his fingers through his hair.

"I see... so it wasn't completely due to a fight... though that seems to have been the starting catalyst," he commented. Tohru nodded her head. "Any idea where he could have run off to?"

"Does it really matter?" Yuki asked, screwing up a shopping bag. Shigure deadpanned.

"Well yes... be-"

"Because if Kyo transforms back, he'll be naked and won't have any clothes to change into." Shigure lifted his arm, letting the early twenty-year-old red head peek in to the kitchen from beneath the sleeve of his yutaka.

"You're up at last," he commented, smirking slightly. The young woman smiled and nodded.

"Lani, we didn't wake you, did we?" Tohru asked, apologetic tones coming through in her voice. Lani shook her head.

"Nope. I was just lying awake. Not really doing anything. But that's not the point. The point is we have to find Kyo," Explained Lani, folding her arms across her abdomen.

"It'd be rather embarrassing being found in a bush as naked as the day you were born," Shigure agreed. "I'll call Hatori, see if he can drive around and find him."

"If he's intelligent, he'll allow himself to be held by a girl, and then find his way home, so he stays a cat longer," Yuki muttered, leaving the kitchen.

"But then how likely would that be?" Lani returned, following Shigure up the corridor towards their room. Tohru was left in the kitchen, and scratched the back of her head blankly for a moment.

"I hope Kyo's okay..." she murmured, turning to the closet where the cleaning utensils were held. She pulled out the broom, and rolled up her sleeves, readying her self to clean the house. At the same time, Yuki vanished from the house to do some gardening, something he usually did when he was annoyed, or just needed to get away from the house, and from any mention of Kyo.

Shigure leaned against the wall of the corridor, listening to the ringing of Hatori's telephone. Finally, the Sohma doctor picked up.

"Ah! Ha'ari!" Shigure said grinning into the receiver. "How are you?"

"What is it, Shigure?" Hatori asked coldly. Shigure pouted on his end of the telephone.

"Oh Ha'ari, is that anyway to greet me? One of your oldest friends?" Hatori was silent on the other end of the telephone. Shigure began to believe he'd left the phone of the hook, so Shigure could continue talking idly to no one, that's what Hatori had a habit of doing, to both Shigure and Ayame. Though Ayame never minded and would rabbit on-and-on for hours, totally unaware that he was talking to himself.

"Shigure, will you tell Hatori why you're calling?" Lani bit out, her head appearing from around the bedroom door. Shigure smiled sheepishly.

"Ha'ari, we have a bit of a problem..." Hatori's attention came back to the phone.

"What problem?" he asked suspiciously. Shigure laughed a little. Nervously.

"Kyo has gone missing." There was a drawn out silence.

"Explain," demanded Hatori.

"Kyo and Yuki got into an argument one the way home from shopping. Tohru tripped up and landed on them both. They transformed and Kyo was chased by a dog. Yuki and Tohru are home now. But Kyo is still out. And since you're the only one with a car..." He heard Hatori sigh on the other end of the phone.

"I suppose... I'll drive around, see if I can see him hiding somewhere, indecently naked. If has any sense, he'll come to Sohma House, but I doubt he'll want to face Kagura. I'll see if anyone else can go out and look for him."

"Thank H-"

"That includes you," Hatori said sharply.

"Of course, of course," laughed Shigure. "Goodbye Ha'ari." The doctor hung up the phone, and Shigure did the same. Rubbing his temple, he wandered into his bedroom, finding Lani lying down, a pillow held into her curled up form. A frown came to Shigure's face, his brown eyes narrowing a little in concern. He slid down on the low bed beside her, letting an arm rest over her side.

"Is Hatori going to look for Kyo?" Lani asked. Shigure nodded, rising up a little and kissing her shoulder. He laid his chin upon her skin. "And you're going to look too, right?"

"Yes," Shigure replied, "but I want to find out what's wrong with you first." Lani frowned and rolled over onto her back, consequently being pinned by Shigure.

"Nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine," Lani told him with a smile for proof. Shigure gave a look which said he obviously didn't believe her, and trailed his fingers through her hair. "Well..." Lani buckled under Shigure's disbelieving gaze. "I've been feeling a little under the weather."

"How so?" Shigure asked, sitting up, and allowing Lani to do the same. Lani shrugged a little, examining the sheet in her fingers.

"Just a little sick." Lani gave a small smile. "That's why I've been sleeping in so much recently... It's mostly in the morning, and then I just feel nauseous through the day as it goes on." Shigure nodded, applying a kiss to her temple.

"Maybe you should see Ha'ari."

"No!" Lani exclaimed.

"Okay, I was just sayin-"

"No... I know... It's just... I'll talk to my mom about it first... it might be nothing," Lani compensated. Shigure craned his head to the side, his face showing some disbelief.

"If you're sure... I can talk to Ha'ari if you want?" he pressed. Lani's grey eyes rose from examining the bed sheet, to looking over Shigure's face. She smiled gently, and kissed him on the mouth.

"I'm fine," she explained breaking, "you don't need to bother Hatori, and you have no reason to worry about me. Now go and find Kyo!" Shigure laughed, stealing a second kiss and rising.

"You're sure-"

"Shigure!"

"I'm gone!" Shigure chuckled and left the room. He closed the door and Lani flopped back on the bed. She lay still for a few moments, before the feeling of needing to retch came upon her. She held back the need, until she was in the bathroom and her head was bowed over the toilet bowl. She really needed to go see someone about this.

* * *

Chaya glowered at her boss' back from beneath her hair as he marked down something on a board at the back of his small grey office. Chaya hated both him, and being taken into this office. She swore she spent more time in here than she did in the main place of the animal shelter. And considering the fact she worked at the shelter voluntarily, she was a little annoyed that she was told off for being late. It could have been that she had _chosen_ to not come in that day. Stupid boss.****

"And furthermore," Chaya was alerted to the voice of her male authoritative figure. "Punctuality is of the utmost importance in later life!" Chaya rolled her eyes. It was the later life talk... the one she'd had about six times before.

"I wasn't that late," Chaya pointed out.

"Three hours counts as _very_ late!" her Boss replied, glowering.

"I can make it up. I'll work late if you want," Chaya muttered.

"Damn right you'll be working late. We lost a lot of time, and a lot of possible adoptions today because you were late. There was no one out to watch the cattery, while people organized adoptions."

"That's not my fault! Why wasn't Kikou out there?" Chaya retorted snappishly.

"Kikou was showing people around the rehoming facilities!" her Boss shouted back, which set Chaya almost into a submissive and retiring position. "Now will you do what you're employed here to do and go check the animals in the cattery!" Chaya expressed a departing glower and left the room, slamming the door as she did, storming down the corridor, through the dog centre, towards the new-improved cattery. She past Kikou on her way, not stopping to say hello, as she entered the long narrow building, closing the door noisily behind her.

"Fucking _asshole!_" Chaya shouted, her voice echoing in the walls. She felt better after her loud exclamation, but now felt some form of guilt as she heard various cats meowing from their cages. Deciding she had better get on with what she was supposed to get on with, she went to the storage cupboard, taking out the various things she'd need. Gloves, broom, dust-pan-and-brush, clean cat litter, and a small green jug, which she filled with water, so she could refill empty water containers in the various cages. Going about her job, she was greeted by the various cats, who rubbed against her arms and hands as she cleaned. She checked over the charts of some the sicker cats, which were in due to illness, or had been taken care of after being found hurt. One of her favourites, a small calico, had a large plastic head cone around its neck, which stopped it from licking or biting at a large gash which was stitched up on its right leg.

Chaya was pleased to find that Kikou wasn't completely useless and had refilled most of the water bowls, and changed some litter. Which helped Chaya immensely, meaning it cut down her working time, and gave her more time to play with some of the cats, which was the main reason Chaya had decided to volunteer for this job. Normally she wouldn't have dreamed of taking on a job where she wasn't paid, but here she was allowed to play with the cats, which was, to her at least, better than money in some ways. Closing the storage closest door, Chaya ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled. She could spend some time with her cats now, unless a visitor came in and she was forced to show them around or get a cat out for them to see.

Walking down the aisle, she peered into various cages, noting several were empty. She could see easily into the outside enclosures, which were joined onto the back of each individual cage. In one she could see the back of something orange. Tilting an eyebrow, Chaya opened the door to the outside enclosure, walking in and closing the door behind her. She squatted, and shuffled towards the orange feline.

"Here kitty," she murmured over and over again, until the cat was within arms reach. She touched its fur, rubbing it gently, only stopping as searing pain coursed up her hand through her fingers. Her eyes watered as she held her hand tightly, blood rising from the few gashes she'd gained from the orange cat's claws. She blew onto the cuts, and laughed weakly. "Jumpy little thing." She grasped the cat around the middle and lifted him onto her lap as he struggled, meowing in protest. "Whoa, it's okay kitty, I'm not going to hurt you... stop squirming." Almost immediately, the cat's valiant attempts to break free stopped and he went limp in her hands. A little bemused by the orange feline's behaviour, Chaya settled back against the wall, rubbing the cat's fur as she went. He settled in her lap, lying flat, and she shook her head a little. "And my horoscope said that orange would be my lucky colour today," she chuckled, thinking back.

_"People actually read those things? Sheesh... this girl must be dumber than she looks..." _Kyo thought, expressing a purr for appearances. _"I hope Tohru or that damn rat told Shigure what happened... stupid dog." _Another purr, this time a little louder. _"I wonder if they sent out Hatori... Hatori's smart... maybe he thought of looking here... Here's hoping. I could do without transforming."_

Chaya smiled down at the orange cat, continuing her stroking. "There you go, not so bad now, huh?" She smiled, lifting him from her lap and nuzzling his black nose with her own nose.

_"Quit that!_" Kyo thought crossly, swiping with a paw. _"Stroking is fine. Any of that girly crap and I'm going to add a few more scratches to accompany your hands."_ Chaya moved Kyo away from her face and lowered him back to her lap.

"Okay, so you're not the overly affectionate type," she commented. "I wonder why you're here... who'd not want a cute little kitty like you, hm?"

_"Hn... I could think of a few people..."_

"You seem so sweet... I bet you have a nice family, and that you're good at doing cat things," Chaya continued. Kyo's ears twisted.

_"Cat things? ... Are you from the same boat at Tohru or something... that's as bad as the umboshi metaphor."_

"I should go see the other cats... they'll probably be jealous I'm giving you so much attention."

_"Hardly,"_ Kyo thought darkly. _"Just keep stroking, and I won't transform back. Dammit! Where the hell is Hatori!!"_

"Okay..." Chaya lifted Kyo from her lap, and stood up. "I'll be back to play with you, kitty." She smiled and left the enclosure. Kyo paced a few minutes, listening to Chaya at the other cages and enclosures. He figured out, in a very short space of time, that if he meowed, she would come and give him the attention he needed so he wouldn't change back. That was his main focus right now. Though he knew if he did, Hatori could just erase her memory, the prospect of that didn't seem too bright, and it was easier for her to just keep petting him, until Hatori arrived. Which Kyo was confident he would. If Yuki hadn't told Shigure what had happened, then he was pretty sure Tohru would have spilt everything. Including the story about the dog. Kyo grimaced. Stupid dog. He was also pleased, however, knowing that the Doberman would think twice about attacking a cat again.

Meowing for the eighth or ninth time, Chaya entered and sat down, lifting Kyo onto her lap. "You sure like attention, don't you? You don't get much at home, hm?" Kyo purred for appearances, which seemed to appease Chaya, as she continued babbling and petting him for the following hour or so. During which time, no one came into the cattery. Kyo was on the verge of giving up hope, when his attention rose, with the cattery door opening. Footsteps, slow and bored, ones he recognized echoed through the room, and other cats began to make sounds. Kyo lifted his head, almost shouting out Hatori's name when he saw the Sohma family doctor standing there. Instead he meowed, and Chaya rose to her feet, exiting the enclosure.

"May I help you?" she asked, brushing Kyo's fur off her clothes. Hatori remained quite expressionless.

"Yes, I have reason to believe that cat belongs to my family and me. He was chased earlier today, and I have since been trying to locate him all day," Hatori replied blankly. Chaya blinked.

"You sure that's him?"

"Yes." To prove it, Hatori turned to the enclosure, where Kyo paced. "Kyo? Kyo, come here." Kyo meowed, and took a few paces to the door, standing on his hind feet so his front paws rested on the wire of the door.

"So his name is Kyo," Chaya murmured. "Okay." She opened the door and picked up Kyo, before he ran out. She stroked him a few more times, before handing him to Hatori. "He's a very lovely cat. Very affectionate." Hatori looked subtly surprised, but covered it.

"Yes... well he likes girls. Not too fond of men though," he replied. "Thank you for taking care of him while he was here. I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"Nope," Chaya grinned. "No trouble at all." She rubbed Kyo's head and his ears, and waved as Hatori walked off, Kyo in his arms. "Bye Kyo!"

At his car, Hatori placed Kyo on the back seat, where there were some clothes, a t-shirt and Kyo's brown cargo pants. Afterwards, he climbed into the front seat and drove off in the direction of Shigure's house.

"May that be a lesson to you, Kyo-"

"Dammit! What took you so damn long!!" Kyo shouted, perching his front paws up on the front passenger seat.

"There were lots of places I had to check." Hatori replied blandly. "Feel lucky you didn't transform."

"Yeah, well it was only cause of that girl I didn't. She kept hugging me. Dammit! Don't take so long over something like this again! Were you the only one looking for me? I bet that damn rat wasn't."

"I'm not sure. I was only told the basics by Shigure." Hatori explained. "Now sit back, in case you transform." No sooner had Hatori told him to, did cat-form Kyo vanish in a puff of smoke, and his human self sat, baring all, in his place. Kyo muttered darkly beneath his breath pulling on his t-shirt and then his pants. Kyo growled darkly, and ran his hand through his hair.

"So what took so long?!"

"There were lots of places to check," Hatori replied. "Like I said. But there were other people looking for you. Shigure for example." Kyo laughed bitterly.

"Shigure? Gee, that really makes me feel cared for. He has the attention span of a gnat!"

"That's true I suppose..." Hatori said slowly. "But that's beside the point. You've been found. You're transformed, and no one knows anything. Now you just have to worry about school."

"Why can't you just make more counter-curse bracelets? Like the one you did for Shigure," Kyo grumbled.

"That was different. They're a little complicated to make," Hatori replied, viewing the seething Cat in the rear view mirror.

"Sure... but it'd be a helluva a lot less hassle for the rest of us if we had them," hissed Kyo.

"That may be. But it's not the case." That was the last word said in the car journey.

* * *

When Hatori pulled up outside of Shigure's house, he was greeted by the writer, and Tohru who ran out to meet Kyo, fussing over him.

"Kyo! You're back! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kyo replied stalking past.

"Are you hungry?" Tohru asked, following. Kyo's stomach growled.

"Yeah." He returned, heading to the living room, where Lani was already, cozied up to the heater and watching the television.

"Hey Kyo," the red head muttered, as if he had never been gone. Kyo slumped down.

"You look sick."

"How nice of you to notice," Lani said sarcastically, then returning her attention to the television. Tohru smiled, pleased to see Kyo was back, and that nothing had changed while he was away.

"I'm sorry we didn't follow after you when that dog chased you. But Yuki-"

"It doesn't matter!" Kyo snapped suddenly. "Where is that damn rat anyway?! His ass is due for some kicking."

Lani released an exasperated sigh. "Can't you not fight. For two seconds?!" she growled. Kyo glared for a moment, and then slumped on the table.

"Eh... I can wait."

Pleased that impending apocalypse had been avoided, Tohru went to the kitchen to continue with the dinner she was in the middle of preparing. Yuki, who was up reading in his bedroom, having taken care of his vegetables for the day, had heard Kyo enter the house, and had decided to not go down and bother him, or the others. It would be easier anyway.

_-- To Be Continued --_

* * *

Don't like what's written here? Then turn back. Don't waste our time with flames. They'll be ignored. Or laughed at. Either way, it's pointless.

If you're not going to send us a flame, then please review! :3 All commentary - save the aforementioned - are welcome.


	2. Déjà Who?

ARGH! Sorry this is so late, you guys! Stupid school… ::kicks it::

**Disclaimer:** We do not own _Fruits Basket_ or its characters, but we do own our characters and the plot. Lani Haruka belongs to **SilverWolverina** and Chayaki Tsuma belongs to **Midnight Insanity**.

Enjoy! And please review!!

* * *

_Chapter Two:_

_Déjà Who?!_

* * *

Aside from the occasional squabbles between Yuki and Kyo, the remainder of the weekend was a quiet one, providing beautiful weather and a peaceful atmosphere that everyone enjoyed. When she wasn't studying, Tohru spent her time in the garden with Yuki, learning more about the plants there and helping him pull out the weeds. Shigure was holed up in his study working on his latest novel, although he was frequently interrupted by Lani who seemed to enjoy tormenting him. Kyo, as per usual, was nowhere in sight, although it was general knowledge by now that he would return Sunday night or Monday morning for school, but only because Lani and Tohru had talked him into it.

Tohru sighed and sat back, rubbing her temples in an attempt to appease the growing headache the past few hours of studying had given her. To make matters worse, her back and neck were sore and she was thirsty.

"Honda-san?"

The brunette turned and saw Yuki standing in the doorway, an amused smile on his handsome face. Tohru found herself smiling back as he made his way into the room and knelt beside her, setting a cup of tea next to her textbooks. "Thank you."

"Still studying?" Yuki looked over her texts and his brows lifted when he saw the amount of notes she had written in her notebook on a single page.

"Yes. I can't understand this one paragraph here, though." Tohru pointed to said paragraph in the text and watched as Yuki turned the book so he could see it better and his eyes scanned over the contents. "I don't know why, but the translation never turns out right."

Yuki was quiet for a few moments and then he pointed to a place in her notes where her troubles had begun. "This is in the present tense because it's a direct quote." He indicated the part in the text and Tohru followed the movement of his slender fingers from each point as he explained. "The rest is in the past. And here they're using the formal 'you' verb form instead of the informal. Do you see?"

She perused her notes and nibbled on her lower lip. "Y…yes. Yes, I do. So that means… Oh!" Her eyes widened and she began scribbling the corrected translation down under the notes she had crossed out ten minutes before. "Thank you, Sohma-kun!" Tohru beamed at him and he smiled back and she felt her heart skip a beat.

Before she could find a reason behind her body's strange behaviour, Shigure appeared in the doorway. "There you are! It's almost seven!"

Tohru gasped and quickly jumped to her feet, nearly knocking over the cup of tea Yuki had placed next to her texts. "I'm sorry, Shigure-san! I lost track of time studying."

Shigure smiled and nodded in understanding. "That's all right. Was my cousin any help?" Dark eyes glittered mischievously when he saw the faint tinge of color on Yuki's cheeks, which was missed entirely by Tohru.

"Yes, I understand now." Tohru gave him a brilliant smile and then hurried off to the kitchen. "I'll have dinner ready soon!" she called over her shoulder as she disappeared.

The moment she was out of sight Yuki scowled and narrowed his eyes at his older cousin. "She isn't a maid, Shigure."

"Of course not. But don't you think she'd look cute as a maid?"

"SHIGURE!"

Shigure let out a very dog-like yelp when Yuki threw a textbook at him, his laughter ringing throughout the house as he ran off to escape the Rat's wrath.

* * *

"See you later, Shigure-san," Tohru called over her shoulder as she hopped down the steps to the path that would eventually lead to the school. "Feel better, Lani-san!"

The redhead poked her head out from beneath the sleeve of Shigure's yutaka and waved to the three departing teenagers. "Stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Try and stay at school this time, Kyo-kun," Shigure called, quickly followed by a curse when Lani elbowed him in the ribs.

Kyo stiffened and stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep himself from throwing a rock at the Dog. A very large, very heavy rock. _Stupid Shigure…_

"Kyo-kun…?"

The orange-haired boy lifted his head and blinked at the shorter girl that was walking in front of him. "What?" He grimaced mentally when he realized he had snapped at her again and cursed fervently when he saw Yuki giving him an annoyed look.

"Hatori-san said you were at the animal shelter, but he didn't say how you kept from transforming. Was there a girl there?" Tohru turned her head and looked at him with her large, innocent eyes as he lengthened his stride slightly to walk by her side.

"You reeked of passionflower for hours," Yuki commented from Tohru's other side.

Kyo bristled and his hands clenched into fists as he glared hatefully at Yuki. "I did not!"

Amethyst eyes turned their languid gaze upon him, which only infuriated him further. "She smelled of passionflower, didn't she?"

Fuming, Kyo refused to dignify that with an answer – mostly because he was right – and instead set about jamming his hands in his pockets again and glaring at the ground. _She smelled like cat food, too._

"So there _was_ a girl!" Tohru exclaimed, clapping her hands together happily. "Was she our age?"

"I dunno, I wasn't paying attention!" Kyo snapped, his hackles rising as an angry tick formed on his temple. _"I wonder why you're here... who'd not want a cute little kitty like you, hm?"_ "Cute kitty my _ass!_"

Tohru gasped and stared up at him with wide brown eyes, having heard only part of his grumbling. "She said you have a cute butt?"

"What the – NO!" A faint tinge of pink coloured his cheeks when he heard the soft snickers coming from Yuki, who was covering his mouth with his hand in an effort to stifle them. "Shut the hell up, rat boy!"

"I didn't say anything," Yuki said calmly, although there was still a faint sparkle in his eyes from his suppressed laughter.

"You were _laughing!_"

"Is that a crime?"

"Shut _up!_" A fist formed and flew toward the Rat's face when a shout of alarm rang out and he felt slender arms wrapping themselves around his waist –

_Poof!_

A very ruffled orange cat lay cradled in Tohru's arms, tail lashing angrily, while a pile of clothes lay on the ground where Kyo had been standing. The brunette blushed and held him close to her chest. "I'm sorry, Kyo-kun, I just…I just hate it when you fight!"

"If it could be called that," Yuki muttered under his breath, exasperated with his cousin's idiocy once again.

A paw lashed out to claw at his arm but he tilted his body out of reach while Tohru backed up a step to keep them apart.

"Please don't fight!" she cried.

Both boys were quiet for a moment – aside from the faint hissing from Kyo – and then the cat's body went limp in her arms and Yuki turned his head away, a clear signal that the fight was over for now.

"Argh, leggo!" Kyo squirmed in her arms and Tohru blinked and stammered apologetically before she knelt down and set him gently on the ground. He gave her an indignant look and then set about to tugging his clothes closer to his body with his paw just in time for him to transform back.

Tohru gave a startled and embarrassed "eep!" and whirled around with a vivid blush on her cheeks. Yuki rolled his eyes and touched her hand to get her attention. "Come on, he can catch up."

"Oh, well…" Tohru bit her lip in contemplation. "Kyo-kun, you don't…mind?" She began to look back to see him and thought better of it when she remembered his condition.

"Just go," came the grumbled response. Kyo didn't bother looking up as he buckled his pants to hang on his hips and then began unbuttoning the shirt so he could put it on. His keen hearing caught the footsteps gradually fading away and when they were almost completely gone, he chanced a glance upward.

Yuki and Tohru were walking side-by-side, the former with his bag on his back and one hand in his pocket and the latter with her bag tucked beneath her arm with her hands clasped in front of her. He could hear her laughing at something that damn rat had said just before they disappeared from sight altogether. Their voices could still be heard, but only just.

Kyo snorted in agitation and held the tie in his mouth as he began walking, pulling on the black tank top and then slinging the uniform shirt over his arm as he broke into an easy lope. As much as he hated school, even he didn't like being late.

* * *

_RINGWHUMPCRASH!_

"Goddammit…" A string of curses followed as the teenage girl untangled herself from the blankets and sat up, her hair tousled in an impossible rat's nest and her eyes barely open, red marks lining one side of her face. She continued cursing as she stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower, stripping off her clothes and stepping inside without adjusting the temperature, hissing when she was doused with freezing water. Gooseflesh rose unbidden on her skin and she shivered, turning the dial to make the water as hot as she could stand it.

The first day of school always sucked, but nowhere near as badly as the first day at a new school where not only did no one know you, but you were also pegged as an instant outcast by default. Well, looking at the high school itself – Kaibara High – it was bound to be full of rich snobs and the like, just like her last high school. Which was wonderful considering she at least knew what to expect.

A derisive snort escaped her and she closed her eyes, tilting her head downward and allowing her tangled hair to fall over her face. _Fuck this._

Cloaked with a fine passionflower-scented mist, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a large green towel around her torso, absently flicking water droplets out of her hair. Her eyes fell on the uniform that lay on the chair near the door and she sighed, already missing the more casual uniforms her old school had had. Now she had to wear a navy skirt that went to mid-thigh, a matching sailor-style blouse, and brown slip-on shoes. She eyed the outfit with distaste and then set about making herself at least halfway presentable.

Once dried, Chaya slipped on the new uniform and toyed with the studs in her ears a moment before she changed them to a series of silver hoops that decreased in size as they went up her ear. Brush in one hand, and a mess of bracelets in the other, she made her way out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom, immediately going to her desk to rummage around the top-most drawer for her choker. After a great deal of tossing things onto the floor and muttering obscenities under her breath, she pulled out the black leather choker with a sound of triumph and promptly dropped the other objects she had in her hands.

"Chayaki! Are you ready yet?"

Chaya scowled and clasped the choker around her neck, quickly jamming the collection of black and purple jelly bracelets onto her wrists and then grabbing her black hoodie and bag from her bed. Without a backward glance, she left the room and went down the stairs, pulling her hoodie on over her head and then swinging her bag over her shoulder.

There was a brief exchange – which consisted of a farewell from Mimi and a grunt in reply from Chaya – as she passed through the kitchen to grab breakfast (a Pop-Tart) and then she was out the door.

The slight chill of crisp autumn air brushed against her cheeks as she pulled on her headphones, her thumb hitting the Play button. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana filled her ears as she scuffed her shoe on the walkway and then headed off in the direction of the school. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, paying only minimal attention to her surroundings – enough to keep her from running into things but that was about the extent of it – as her eyes slipped into half-mast. Her easy gait unconsciously changed to match the beat of the song, her lips silently moving to form the words that she knew by heart.

The growling of her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten since the night before and she took a bite of her Pop-Tart, still mouthing the words to the song. The strong ground beat thumped in her chest, gravely voices whispering in her ears and reminding her of years past and chances left for dead.

Because she had been born in Japan, it was the first language she learned, despite her mother's American background. Then, after the divorce and the move to Los Angeles, English became the primary language spoken at home and her native tongue was saved only for special occasions, such as a muttered curse or words spoken in anger. Her mother had been desperate to cut any ties she may have had left with her father and Chaya had been too little to argue.

Any previous memories of Japan had been wiped clean of her purely American life in the States. Her mother had made sure of that. All of the traditions that she had partaken in during her first three years of life were burned away in a furious inferno, taken over completely by the cheesy candy canes that lined the driveway at Christmas time and the enormous inflatable Easter bunny that resided in the front yard during spring break.

A light breeze caused her bangs to brush against the tops of her lids and tickle her temples. Languid brown eyes rose to take in the change of scenery – she had left the path behind and was now following the main road – and found that it held little interest. The sidewalks had been swept clean and a neat hedgerow lined the one side while a concrete wall that ended far above her head closed the other off.

_So different…_ Chaya couldn't shake the feeling of being an outsider even before she came close to the school. She had been an outsider before, many times, in fact, but she had never been an outsider in a different country before. She was the New Girl. The American Girl. It was different than just being the new kid on the block in kindergarten.

The corner of her mouth curved upward in an amused smile as she deftly sidestepped a boy on his skateboard. Then again, some things never changed.

Somewhere the recesses of her mind she picked up the faint tolling of a bell and paused. _What the… Oh, shit._ She was vaguely amused with the fact that even her thoughts couldn't keep the sarcasm at bay. Then again, she had never really been a fan of hiding her true feelings toward things. _Late on the first day… Wonder how they're going to take this one?_

* * *

"Honda Tohru, I would like you to meet our newest student, Tsuma Chayaki. She just transferred here from the United States," Rosatto-san, the school's secretary, said brightly, placing a hand on the new girl's shoulder. "Now I'll just run along and let you two talk a bit before you can start going through a tour of the school, okay?" She flashed them both a brilliant smile and nearly skipped from the office, shutting the door smartly behind her.

An awkward silence stretched between the two with Tohru staring at the closed door in a state of shock and the new girl rubbing her cheek with her finger with an unimpressed look on her face. The meeting had been ten seconds at the most and the secretary's haste had been a bit too obvious than what could ever be considered cordial, much less professional. Frankly, Tohru hadn't been given a chance to process the fact that _she_ would be the one to show the new girl around the school and help her to her classes. A new girl that had lived in the United States, and thus spoke English, a language that the brunette was failing miserably in understanding.

The situation couldn't possibly become any worse.

"Huh." Tohru blinked and looked over to see the new girl – Chayaki? – standing beside her with arms lightly crossed over her chest, an iPod in one hand and the strap of her bag in the other. She seemed to be studying the office door with her dark brown eyes. "Is she always like that?"

Tohru stared at her, at first not comprehending at all. Chayaki's voice wasn't anything like she had thought it would be at all. Instead of the halting, heavily accented words, she spoke with a clear and confident grasp of the language, only the easygoing western lilt giving away her foreigner status.

Suddenly remembering that she had been asked a question, Tohru blushed and shook her head. "I… I don't know." Her blush deepened as she added, "I've never talked to her before."

For a long moment, the two girls could only stare at each other with identical expressions of bewilderment. Then the corners of Chayaki's lips twitched and her eyes sparkled and she burst into a fit of laughter.

Cheeks burning, Tohru backed up a step. "I… I'm sorry… If you like, I could find someone… Someone better for the job…"

"No, no, you're good," the American managed to choke out, waving a hand. "Sorry, it's just… I thought I would be bored, but…" After a brief struggle to regain composure, Chayaki straightened, offering her a broad grin and a bow. "Tsuma Chayaki. But everybody calls me Chaya, or Aki."

Tohru hesitated, staring at Chayaki's – no, Chaya's – grinning face in surprise. It didn't take long before she felt the beginnings of an answering smile on her own face. "Pleased to meet you," she replied, bowing in return. "I'm Honda Tohru."

* * *

Yuki Sohma leaned against the lockers, patiently waiting for Tohru to arrive so they could walk home. Usually Kyo would be waiting somewhere nearby, but the nekozumi seemed to have disappeared. Not that Yuki cared.

"Hey, check out that cutie with Honda-san!"

Yuki blinked and his head lifted to see the familiar form of Tohru walking toward him talking animatedly to a girl that he didn't recognize at all. The girl was perhaps an inch or two taller than Tohru with wispy blonde hair that just reached her shoulders, strands splayed out all around her head like she was in a constant state of mild static shock. Two strands of light brown hung in front of her ears, which were each adorned with four silver hoops. A black choker was clasped around her neck, a small silver charm dangling over the base of her throat. Both wrists were covered in a tangled jungle of black and purple jelly bracelets, the exact number impossible to tell.

He had the distinct feeling that she would probably get along very well with Haru.

"Isn't she the transfer student from America?"

"Can she even speak Japanese?"

The girl seemed to hear this last comment because her lips twitched and her eyes – which Yuki could now confirm were a soft brown – narrowed. "Of course I can speak Japanese, you idiot."

Lilac eyes sparkled with amusement as the commentators – who happened to be third years – cringed from her cold words. _Yes, she would definitely get along with Haru._

* * *

**_– Tsudzuku –_**

* * *

Sorry again for such a late update, guys. Hopefully it won't take this long for the next chapter. Gah, I suck. ::buries head in pillows::

Happy Holidays! We gave you our present, now it's time for you to give us ours. XD Review!

_– Midnight Insanity_ and _SilverWolverina_


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